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Myths about the Covid-19 vaccine

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Significant developments in a new urine test for prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers among men. Although there are effective treatments, such as radiotherapy and surgery for localized prostate cancer, men diagnosed with more progressive prostate cancer have a poorer prognosis. Therefore, a sensitive and specific screening test to detect prostate cancer in its early states is urgently needed.

Currently, serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels and digital rectal examinations have been used as the screening and diagnostic tools for prostate cancer. However, researchers believe that a simple, non-invasive technique using urine can be a more sensitive and specific way to detect the early stages of the disease. Urine contains more than two thousand different metabolites and can provide clues to the human body’s metabolism, including the disordered metabolism of cancer cells.

Researchers in the United States have taken the opportunity to develop a new urine test for prostate cancer based on the metabolite profile and RNA sequencing found in prostate cancer-specific urine. The researchers took an approach that only required one single pass of urine, without the need for prostatic massage prior, to prove their principle that a simple urine sample could be sufficient for the identification of prostate cancer biomarkers.

Metabolic profiles of patients without cancer were taken and compared with metabolic profiles of patients with prostate cancer to identify metabolic changes and prostate cancerspecific biomarkers. The findings are the first to report a distinct prostate cancer profile from altered metabolic pathways in patient urine samples that can be differentiated between patients with normal prostates and benign prostatic hyperplasia (benign enlargement of the prostate).

The researchers conclude that their findings are a significant discovery to developing a new urine test for prostate cancer that is simple, non-invasive and convenient. The study’s proof-of-concept should be further tested and validated in larger sample sizes before it can be clinically implemented.

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‘The Terror of Blue John Gap’ is a short story written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, first published in 1912. He is best known as the creator of the great fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. This story is set in the English county of Derbyshire, in the Peak District, near the village of Castleton. The main action takes place in the old, disused Blue John mines in the area. Blue John Stone is a rare, semi-precious mineral.

The story is as a series of diary entries, written by Dr James Hardcastle and found after his disappearance. Armitage, a local man, who introduces the story, describes Hardcastle as a rational and scientific man, “absolutely devoid of imagination, and most unlikely to invent any abnormal series of events”. Dr Hardcastle has been sent to the country to recover from tuberculosis. He is staying on a farm, near the town of Castleton. He spends his time walking in the hills, and he becomes interested in the old disused mines and caves under the hills. Armitage tells Dr Hardcastle the legend of Blue John Gap.

Local people say there is a monster that lives in the underground caves and comes out at night to steal sheep. Armitage says he has heard the monster. Dr Hardcastle is surprised by how superstitious the locals are, until he himself hears the strange noise, too. He decides to explore the cave when he is feeling stronger. Dr Hardcastle starts to explore the entrance of the cave, and wonders if it is possible that some kind of strange creature lives in the underground caves. While in the caves, his candle goes out and he is left in the dark. He hears strange noises and feels the presence of the monster. He immediately runs out of the caves, frightened by his experience, and then he decides to tell someone about what happened. He goes to visit a local doctor. The doctor refers him to a specialist, but Dr Hardcastle chooses not to talk to him. At the same time, sheep go missing on the hills near Blue John Gap. When Armitage also goes missing, Dr Hardcastle decides to tell the police about his experience and yet they laugh at him, so Dr Hardcastle decides to face the monster on his own. He buys a lantern and a rifle, and leaves a note in his bedroom, telling his hosts to look for him in Blue John Gap if he goes missing.

An astonishing 40% of bees die every year as a result of disease, pesticides and climate change — in part because busy commercial beekeepers miss warning signs. That’s where Beewise, an artificial-intelligence-powered hive, comes in. Using precision robotics, computer vision and AI, a Beehome — which costs $15 a month and might host 2 million bees — monitors the insects 24/7. When a hive is exposed to, say, parasites or experiences irregular temperatures, its internal systems respond immediately by applying pesticides, for example. Use of the smart technology can double pollination capacity and honey production, while decreasing colonies’ mortality rate. “Not only do bees not die,” says Saar Safra, Beewise’s CEO. “They thrive.”

Examine a anedota publicada pela comunidade “The Language Nerds” em sua conta no Facebook em 22.01.2020.

Law No. 13.709 / 2018 (General Law for the Protection of Personal Data) provides for the processing of personal data, with the consent of the data subject, to comply with legal or regulatory obligations and to carry out studies or execution contracts at the request of the holder.

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ARE VIRUSES ALIVE?

For about 100 years, the scientific community has repeatedly changed its collective mind over what viruses are. First seen as poisons, then as lifeforms, then biological chemicals, viruses today are thought of as being in a gray area between living and nonliving: they cannot replicate on their own but can do so in truly living cells and can also affect the behavior of their hosts profoundly. Finally, however, scientists are beginning to appreciate viruses as fundamental players in the history of life.

To Be or Not to Be

The seemingly simple question of whether or not viruses are alive, which my students often ask, has probably defied a simple answer all these years because it raises a fundamental issue: What exactly defines “life?” A precise scientific definition of life is an elusive thing, but most observers would agree that life includes certain qualities in addition to an ability to replicate. For example, a living entity is in a state bounded by birth and death. Living organisms also are thought to require a degree of biochemical autonomy, carrying on the metabolic activities that produce the molecules and energy needed to sustain the organism. This level of autonomy is essential to most definitions.

Viruses, however, parasitize essentially all biomolecular aspects of life. That is, they depend on the host cell for the raw materials and energy necessary for nucleic acid synthesis, protein synthesis, processing and transport, and all other biochemical activities that allow the virus to multiply and spread. One might then conclude that even though these processes come under viral direction, viruses are simply nonliving parasites of living metabolic systems.

Frequentemente os países anglo-saxões utilizam como unidade de volume a onça líquida ou fluída (fl Oz) para in

Sabe-se que a onça fluída britânica corresponde a aproximadamente 2,84 centilitros e que certa mamadeira comercializada no Brasil tem a capacidade de 300 ml.

Avoiding Food-Drug Interactions: A Proposal

By Susan Drier-Jonas

Abstract

The treating physician has a great responsibility when prescribing medication. He must be aware of any situations that might interfere with his prescription. He checks current medications in order to avoid drug-drug interactions. However, other factors that may affect the effectiveness or clearance of the prescription are often overlooked, including food-drug and supplement-drug interactions. Even the healthiest and most desirable foods, such as leafy greens or fiber, can affect the medication, leading to treatment failure. Physicians rarely ask patients about eating habits, and patients do not know to offer such information. I therefore propose the use of a food frequency questionnaire during the first visit to the doctor, in order to have a realistic basis for prescriptions and to allow physicians to advise patients about intake of various foods during treatment. In addition to opening communications between the physician and patient, this would result in more effective treatment strategies that have better adherence, since they would be adapted to the patient’s current lifestyle. Physicians would be able to offer more inclusive instructions when prescribing, increasing patient confidence and treatment outcomes.

All aboard the flat earth cruise – just don’t tell them about nautical navigation

A group of people who believe the Earth is flat have announced their “boldest adventure yet”: a Flat Earth cruise scheduled for 2020. Flat earthers will enjoy swimming pools and perhaps even an artificial surf wave. There’s just one problem for those celebrating the flatness of the Earth. The navigational systems cruise ships, and other vessels, use rely on the fact that the Earth is not flat. “Nautical charts are designed with that in mind: that the Earth is round. GPS relies on 24 main satellites which orbit the Earth to provide positional and navigational information. The reason why 24 satellites were used is because of the curvature of the Earth,” said Henk Keijer, a former cruise ship captain who sailed all over the globe during a 23-year career. “At least three satellites are required to determine a position. But someone located on the other side of the Earth would also like to know their position, so they also require a certain number of satellites. Had the Earth been flat, a total of three satellites would have been enough to provide this information to everyone on Earth. But it is not enough, because the Earth is round.”